The International Cricket Council (ICC) has bluntly refused to meet a three-member Sports Coordination Committee in Cricket appointed by Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, Cricket Age exclusively learns.
Ranasinghe has appointed a three-member International Sports Coordination Committee in Cricket comprising Sidath Wettimuny, former Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Upali Dharmadasa and Rakitha Rajapakshe, son of Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. Wettimuny will be the chairman of the committee while Rakitha Rajapaksa will be the secretary. The task of the committee is to monitor, communicate and coordinate with international and national cricket councils to safeguard development, independence and transparency of cricket in the Island.
After setting up the committee on Tuesday, the Minister notified the ICC of the latest development and requested a meeting for them with ICC Chair Greg Barclay. The ICC has, however, rejected the request, emphasizing that SLC must be allowed to govern its affairs autonomously, without any Government interference.
“The ICC’s point of contact for all issues relating to cricket in Sri Lanka will be Sri Lanka Cricket,” reads the letter signed by Geoff Allardice, ICC Chief Executive, addressed to Minister Ranasinghe on September 28.
“So the ICC Chair and/or CEO will not be meeting with your International Sports Coordination Committee in Cricket without the endorsement of Sri Lanka Cricket, and no such endorsement has been given,” he stated.
“As I stated in my letter to you of 11 April, the ICC expects Sri Lanka Cricket to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no Government (or other public or quasi-public body) interference in its governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket,” he further added.
